Devil in Me
by CherriAme
Summary: I, who disliked human world, was forced to travel to that realm for my Rite of Passage. There was no way I would come to like humans, but I did. What's worse, it is forbidden to fall in love with a mortal; but I think I broke that rule now. - Fem!Allen -
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Standard disclaimer applies.

**Warning:** Slight Canon-AU, and Major Spin in Some Characters' History

**Note:** This idea is derived from four things: gender bending + Tyki as a good guy + Neah being his awesome self + supernatural theme.

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_**Prologue**_

A young girl stood before a young man with dark colored hair and amber eyes, neither speaking as they continued to eye at each other. Waves of defiance flared in the young girl's eyes for another few seconds until she let out a defeated sigh, and nodded with a pout appearing on her expression. At this notion, the young man merely let out a triumphant smirk as he crossed his arms, and ignored the young girl rolling her eyes distastefully at the situation.

"I believe I won, _darling niece_," the older male stated as he sat back in his seat, and his tone sounding innocent and playful despite the seriousness of the situation. "Besides, we all had to do it when we were your age, and we turned out fine, so there is nothing to fear," he added solemnly.

"But _uncle_!" the young girl insisted as her long dark chestnut brown hair bounced with her movement, and her azure eyes pleading to him. "You know as well as I that _human world_ is rather… unappealing to say the least. Is this…punishment… because I broke your favorite vase? It was an accident, I swear!" she continued.

Her uncle rubbed his temple as he inwardly tried to phrase his next sentence carefully, and finally stated, "Darling, it's not about the vase. All of us had to go to the human world for a certain amount of time, and _mingle_ with them. It's the Rite of Passage to become a full-pledge being; however, because you take after your mother more, your grandfather wanted your brother to go with you for your test… just in case."

"So it _is _about the vase," the girl muttered under her breath as she continued to pout and scowl. She then let out an exaggerated sigh, and finally conceded to what her uncle was saying, "Fine. If I must, I'll go; but Nii-sama is coming with me, right? He has to!" It seemed she did not bothered to listen to her uncle's last statement.

"Of course," another male voice stated from behind the young girl, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He then hugged his sister close him as his amber eyes briefly glanced over her body to make sure she was unharmed. "After all, I have to make sure that those unruly _mortals_ do not ever so much as glance at my darling sister," he stated with a scowl marring his expression, and spat out the word 'mortals'.

The young girl's uncle chuckle at the short monologue, and added with a sly grin, "Actually… Ailin, grandfather said that you're to go disguised as a boy until your 16th birthday."

"What!" the young girl, Ailin, responded in shocked and surprised.

"Absolutely not! I forbid my sister to look like a boy!" her brother immediately retorted as he narrowed his eyes at their uncle, and added fumingly, "Uncle Neah, what in the world were you thinking, agreeing to this absurd deal?"

Neah, once again, massaged his temple as he inwardly wondered why in the world was he the one to report these kinds of news to Ailin and her brother. He had a nagging feeling that Ailin's brother was overprotective of his only sister ever since they had found out that she was… let's just say, different. In a good way, of course.

"She can't forever be sheltered, Tyki," Neah addressed to the two siblings, and inwardly let out a smile when he saw that Ailin was in a protective embrace of her brother, "And what if there comes a time when we can't protect her? What will you do then? I'm not saying I agree with grandfather's method, but darling niece needs to learn about her powers and how to control them. Of course, you and I will be there to watch, guard, and guide her."

Silence blanketed the room as no one spoke for a few minutes, as the two siblings tried to digest the information. Finally, Tyki said as he kneeled down and glanced up at his sister, "Ailin dear."

"Yes?" she responded with puzzled expression, silently wondering why her brother sounded so serious.

"Promise me. You must never, _never, __never_ fall in love with a mortal; do you understand me?" Tyki insisted as he looked at his sister with seriousness that she had not seen before. Ailin simply looked at him in confused since she did not know why he was insisting on such request, and in the end, nodded in agreement.

"Then I suppose we are to be engaged in a war between the Innocence and the Noah if we're leaving now," Tyki stated in slight amusement with a smirk portraying on his expression as he stood up. "If you don't mind, I would like to side with the Noah so I do not need to hide my powers as much. Ailin dear will be better off with the Exorcists."

"But why! I want to go with you, Nii-sama!" Ailin replied with a frown as she glanced up at her brother, and held onto his hand.

Tyki merely ruffled her hair, much to Ailin's annoyance since it took her a while to style it, and said, "I cannot ask you to kill, dear. You are far much too young and innocent to do such deed."

Neah could not help but smile at the scene, and marveled at how quickly Tyki had changed from despising Ailin to being overprotective of her. "Well then, if that is all set, we will begin with the test. Ailin, please think of your disguise, and you are forbidden to use your powers before mortals," he instructed, fully aware of her gaping expression.

"Close your mouth, dear." Tyki chided with a small grin threatening to escape from his solemnly amused expression, and added, "We will begin with your Rite of Passage at midnight. Go prepare yourself for the journey."

Ailin merely closed her mouth and scowled at the two males in the room before she headed to the large double doors whilst she muttered, "It was _so_ about the vase." She then paused by the doorway, and glanced back to her brother and uncle. "I've decided on my name for in the mortal world," her tone radiating confidence that she did not feel.

"Oh?" that was all Neah responded with as he waited for her to continue.

"The name shall be 'Allen'; it will be easier to remember a name that is similar to mine," the young girl responded with a smirk before she walked out of the room completely, leaving behind two amused males in the room.

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**Question:** Any thoughts of the pairing? Yullen? Laven? Poker? [If it's Poker... it'll be incest, unless you guys don't mind incest.] Or others?


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Standard disclaimer applies.

**Warning:** Slight Canon-AU, Major Spin in Some Characters' History, Moody!Ailin/Allen

**Note:** This idea is derived from four things: gender bending + Tyki as a good guy + Neah being his awesome self + supernatural theme.

Fast update is fast, eh? Many thanks to those who wrote me reviews, put this fic on favorite and/or alert.

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_**Chapter 1  
**_

Ailin let out a sigh as she walked back into her room in Black Order after having breakfast. It had been nearly sixteen bloody years since she had arrived to the human world. Tyki had almost cried an ocean and a river when she transformed into Allen the first time, announcing to the whole Underworld that he would not see his 'cute sister' grow up, and all that sappy monologue that came henceforth.

She could not help but let out a giggle when she remembered that particular moment. Uncle Neah laughed at her brother so much that he could not breathe, and her grandfathers shaking their head exasperatedly at Tyki's antics. She was surprised that her grandfathers got along with one another at her departure; but she had a nagging feeling that it was for her sake. After all, the two were quite opposite in every way.

"A few more weeks before I finally get to leave this blasted world," Ailin muttered as she locked the door behind her, and transformed out of her disguise, Innocence and all. She then made her way across, and snapped her fingers to change the softness of her bed.

Ailin shrugged off her Exorcist coat, tossing it haphazardly on the back of a chair, and plopped down on her bed. She let out another series of giggle when she remembered the first time she actually met her brother on a train when she and Lavi were travelling back to Order after picking up another Exorcist, Arystar Krory III.

Ailin could not help but giggle at the fact that her brother actually let her win at that game of poker. After all, it was he who taught her who to play, so there was no way he would lose… except for that time. She then closed her eyes whilst her hand ran through her long hair. It had been a while since she transformed back to her real self, and out of disguise. As often as she wanted to, she could not since a certain _dog_ was shadowing her; and as much as she wanted to eliminate her second shadow, she could not since she had to abide by _mortal rules_.

"Humans… as far as I can tell, half of them are no better than Level A Fallens," Ailin spat out and clicked her tongue in annoyed. "Oh, how I wish I could just send them to the pits of Underworld and have grandfather judge them for trying to hurt me," she continued in a murmur as her azure blue eyes glinted with sadism.

She then let out a dark chuckle and muttered in a low tone, "Better yet, let's see how well they can handle a half-breed like me… especially when I get my full powers."

Ailin closed her eyes as she slowly inhaled and exhaled, just so she does not 'accidentally' blow up Black Order, like she did with Uncle Neah's favorite and expensive vase. In her defense, it was not her fault that the newbie Fallen Angel did not know his place and angered her. If her brother was there, that newbie would have been blown into pieces. He was just lucky that she did not have complete control of her powers, and instead had hit Uncle Neah's vase.

"Allen? Are you in there?" Lenalee's voice inquired as she knocked on the door three times. Ailin did not say anything as she continued to listen to what the other female exorcist had to say. "Nii-san wants to see you for a mission," Lenalee continued in an unsure tone.

With a sigh, Ailin sat up and extended her hand towards her coat, which flew towards her direction at her beckoning. She wordlessly put it on, and closed her eyes to concentrate; in an instant, her entire image had transformed from Ailin to Allen Walker. "I'll be right there, Lenalee," she answered in her disguised voice. She could not help but cringe when she noticed the change for the umpteenth time, utterly repulsed by the fact that she had to change everything about herself, just for the Rite of Passage. Of all the blasphemy…

'Thinking of which… I wonder if Nii-sama and Uncle Neah had to be transformed as girls,' Ailin inwardly wondered with a smirk etching on her expression at the thought. It would definitely be interesting to see how they look; oh yes, it would be a perfect blackmail material.

"Sorry for the wait," Ailin stated with a slight smile, to which Lenalee reassured her that it was alright before the two headed towards the Supervisor's office.

It was not long before the two reached to Komui's office, and even without glancing towards Lenalee, Ailin could tell that she was uncomfortable with the silence. However, there was nothing Ailin wanted to talk with to the older girl… well, there were some things she did want to talk about, but it was nothing mortals could understand. With an inward scoff and an outward smile, she opened the door and allowed Lenalee to enter first before she followed suit.

Link, who Ailin had lost minutes before, was waiting for her with a displeased frown. "Walker, where were you?" that was the first thing her _shadow_ inquired in a reprimanding tone.

"It's not my fault that you fail at shadowing me," Ailin responded in a cold smile. Her smile widened by an inch when she noticed that Howard Link shivered. She then proceeded to walk towards the coach, and ignored her _shadow_ muttered incoherently under his breath as he scribbled something on that clipboard of his.

"Allen, good morning," Komui greeted good-naturedly with a smile as he took a long sip on his coffee. His smile immediately dropped when he noticed a movement behind the silvery white haired exorcist, and asked in a serious tone, "Leverier-san, what are you doing?"

Lavi immediately turned around from his seat, and his eye instantly widened when he saw what was happening. Kanda, on the other hand, merely gave a curious glance towards the action as he muttered something along the line of, "Ch', Moyashi is always attracting trouble."

Ailin simply closed her eyes for a few seconds when she felt a pistol's barrel pressed against her skull, and heard a certain click that revealed that Leverier had taken off the safety. It was only a matter of seconds before the older man pulled the trigger. She could not help but smirk sardonically at the absurdity of her current situation, and calmly said, "Are you sure it is wise to attack me, Mister Leverier?"

"Why shouldn't I, Walker? It's only a matter of time before you fully transform into the 14th, and attack us," the Vatican personnel spat out as he pressed the barrel against the mentioned person's skull, and added, "I am merely eliminating the threat before it escalate."

"It's not Allen's fault!" Lavi insisted from the sideline as he clenched his hand in a fist.

Leverier shifted his glare towards the Bookman apprentice to silence him, and said, "This is none of your business, Bookman Junior." With that said, the Vatican personnel let out a sadistic smirk towards the silvery white haired exorcist, inwardly pleased by the fact that Allen Walker did not move from his spot. "Now then," Leverier continued with a dry chuckle, "you know what your fate is, don't you, Walker?"

"Death, isn't it, _Mister Leverier_?" Ailin retorted as she dramatically rolled her eyes and spat out his name, as if the sentence meant nothing to her, and continued, "And for the record, there is no 14th Noah; and while I'm in the mood to talk, I might as well tell you that you will only be bringing forth trouble yourself should you indeed decided to kill me."

"What nonsense are you blabbering about, Moyashi?" Kanda decided to cut in with a slight eyebrow raised.

Link stepped forward as he flipped through many pages attached on his clipboard, and said, "You are orphan, Walker. Aside from the Exorcists here, there is no one who will help you."

Ailin chuckled in response with her eyes close, and allowed an amused smile to appear on her face as she reopened her eyes to display an equally amused expression. "That's where you're wrong. You don't know anything about me; but I am right about one thing… human nature haven't changed for the past fifteen years and a half. _Especially_, you," she stated with a scoff, and turned around at the last statement so quickly that Leverier could not help but stumbled a step backward.

"If you deliberately decide to harm me, it's only a matter of time my 'puppies' sense their master is in trouble, and have you as their chew toy," Ailin continued with a sadistic smile on her face, and added as an afterthought, "Now that I thought about it, they do need a new chew toy. Would you like to volunteer, Mister Leverier?"

"A-Allen, what are you saying?" Lavi gulped loudly as he rubbed his arm, trying to ease the shivers sent to his spine. There was something different about Allen, and he could not pinpoint what that change is yet.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Lavi," Ailin responded airily with a dismissive wave, and shifted her attention back to Leverier, who still aimed his pistol towards her. "Kill me, I dare you, and you will get to meet Fenrir and Ragnarök," she beckoned with a frosty smile.

Silence passed over the stunned occupants in the messy room as no one dared to say anything. Finally with a sigh, Ailin ran her hand through her silvery white hair, and walked over to Leverier to pluck out the pistol, disassembling it within seconds before she stepped on it to destroy it. He, who was still shocked, did not know any better until the Vatican personnel realized that he was holding nothing.

"Now then, we finally finished with the formalities," Ailin started with a fake smile as she made her way over to the couch, and continued to Komui, "What's the mission?"

Komui snapped out of his stupor and scrambled around to locate the mission folder on his overly cluttered desk. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he declared, "Aha!" as he held up a folder and flipped through the pages before he resumed with his explanation, "There has been reports of a Level 5 Akuma in Japan, and I want you four to go eliminate it."

"Level 5?" Lenalee murmured as she eyed nervously at Leverier, and moved closer to her comrades.

Lavi stroke his chin thoughtfully and added, "That means they evolved. Oh boy, this won't be a vacation."

"You're not allowed to use the Ark, Walker," Leverier finally said with a heated glare after moments of being frozen in shock.

Ailin clicked her tongue in annoyance, inwardly formulating a plan to 'accidentally' dispose this blasted mortal, and outwardly responded with fake politeness, "I don't plan to; and while we're at it, I highly suggest you stay behind, Link. You'll only be in the way."

"I am ordered to watch over you, Walker," Howard Link responded dutifully as he scribbled some notes on his clipboard.

Ailin simply shrugged in response, and said, "Don't say I didn't warn you. I'm going to go pack." She then stalked over to the door, sending a chilling glare towards Leverier on the way whilst she quietly muttered, "I _can't_ wait until this Rite of Passage is over. Damn mortals and their rules. I can't believe I even thought that my views of them will change if I stayed here for a long time."

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**Footnote:**

Fenrir is a monstrous wolf in Norse mythology.

In Norse mythology, Ragnarök ("final destiny of the gods") is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures.

Both are Ailin's 'puppies'.

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**Note:**

For now, I have decided to make it a KandaxAllenxLavi triangle until there is a clear cut winner of which pairing the readers want. Thank you, **jax2468** for the idea ;D

Ahh, it has been a while since I wrote a long fic; I hope it was somewhat decent [sweat drops]


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Standard disclaimer applies.

**Warning:** Slight Canon-AU, Major Spin in Some Characters' History, Moody!Ailin/Allen

**NOTE:** The Exorcists do not know that Ailin is a girl yet.

Ahh, another fast update; can't believe I wrote two chapters in a day. [laughs] It might not always be this fast since I need to finish my growing pile of homework [sweat drops].

Anyways, many thanks to those who wrote me reviews, put this fic on favorite and/or alert.

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_**Chapter 2**_

Ailin let out an exasperated sigh as she sullenly sat on her chair, and watched her clothes folded by themselves before they traveled to her opened suitcase. She nearly let out a cynical laughter when she remembered that Leverier had the _guts_ to try and stand up to her; heck, he even tried to threaten her. Who did he think he is? There was no way he will _ever_ win against her, especially when her grandfathers rule Heaven and Underworld representatively.

"Next time he tries to do something, we'll just have to show them who we really are, won't we, Timcampy?" Ailin suggested sweetly to her golem, who merely fluttered in the air as if in agreement. Her gaze then shifted back to her suitcase, which had finished packing and awaiting for her to pick it up. "Now then, let us depart," she muttered under her breath as she carried suitcase, which was light as a feather due to her powers.

Ailin opened her door, and made her way down the hallway leading to an underground canal with Timcampy fluttering behind her. She let out a small frown as she thought out loud, "I wonder if Nii-sama will also be there. I just hope grandfathers did not decide to wage a war against the mortal world because of what happened to me. I mean, it's not that I forgive them for demeaning me and such - because I don't - but there are some people that I can tolerate, so I don't want anything bad happening to them. Do you know what I'm saying, Timcampy?"

The mentioned golem nodded in agreement as best as he could before he rested on Ailin's head. Although if Timcampy could talk, he could most definitely say that he has no idea what the silvery white haired exorcist was speaking about. After all, as far as he could remember, Allen was an orphan; therefore, he did not have family members. It was really quite confusing for the poor golem.

Ailin did not say anything as she descended down the stairs, and noticed her fellow exorcists had already arrived with their representative suitcases. Kanda, as usual, gave her a glare that clearly said, "You're late, Moyashi!" Lavi, and Lenalee simply smiled but did not say anything.

"Sorry for being late," that was the first thing Ailin said as she arrived to the scene. Lenalee immediately reassured to her that it was alright since they had just arrived themselves. Ailin let out a soft smile at the older girl before she spoke again, "I assume we are taking the same route as last time?"

"If you mean the same route as getting to Japan from China, then yes," Lavi nodded in agreement as he put his suitcase on the boat, and then did the same with his comrades' belongings. "I don't get why Leverier wouldn't let us use the Ark. It would be so much easier," the Bookman apprentice grumbled.

"Do you want the sugar-coated answer or the harsh truth, Lavi?" Ailin inquired with bemused smile as she put her suitcase on the boat, and got in herself without waiting for anyone. "Either way, if you asked me, my guess is that he is simply scare of what he _thinks_ I can do. But then again, he _should_ be scared," she chuckled.

"Allen, what are you talking about?" Lenalee could not help but asked in a slightly frightened tone, unsure of what the silvery white haired male was going on about.

The mentioned exorcist, on the other hand, merely let out a dark smirk and said, "Don't worry about it; in any case, we should get going. It's going to be a long trip." Ailin drew her legs closed to her chest and placed her head on top of her knees as she watched Lavi helped Lenalee board the small boat whilst Kanda ignored the two and boarded the already cramped space himself.

'If I could use my powers, this blasted mission would be over and that foolishly foolish fool would be my puppies' chew toy,' Ailin thought with a sigh as she watched Kanda took a seat on the other end of the small boat while Lavi and Lenalee took a seat in the middle with everyone's suitcases. She then stared at the cavern's ceiling with a solemn expression, fully aware of the fact that the other Exorcists – particularly Lavi – was eyeing at her. The Finder, who had been assigned for this mission with them, took an oar and began rowing whilst the Bookman apprentice helped.

"Allen, are you alright?" Lenalee could not help but ask when she noted that the usually cheerful and positive Exorcist looked… so serious and melancholic. It was as if Allen was another person altogether, especially if she were to consider how he looked so somber when he thought no one was looking at him.

Ailin simply reopened her closed eyes, and glanced over the older female Exorcist to display a small smile. Her gaze then landed on the male Exorcists, silently noting that they were listening to the conversation even though Kanda looked like he did not care. "Yes, I'm alright. I'm just wondering why Level 5 Akuma had decided to appear now," she responded.

It was a lie, but they did not need to know; she had a feeling that this 'challenge' was for her to see which side she would ended up in the end. A half-breed like her had to choose… well, not exactly choose which side she wanted, but her powers will decide for her. 'Nii-sama ended up in Underworld because of his powers… I wonder if I will have to be separated from him if my powers happened to be different…' she worriedly thought with a frown.

"That is a good question," Lavi nodded in agreement with a thoughtful look appearing on his expression. "It's rare to see a new rank in Akuma, such as a Level 5. After all, we all know that it would take a long time for them to evolve. I could not help but wonder why or how the Earl had hidden it from our knowledge," he continued with a frown.

"Ch', the sooner we eliminate it, the sooner it's out of our hair," Kanda responded with his arms crossed, and added as an afterthought, "Baka Usagi, more rowing and less talking. This boat isn't going anywhere."

"Don't be so demanding Yuu-chan," Lavi replied good-naturedly with a grin, and handed an oar to the swordsman, "You should help too."

Kanda intensified his glare to the Bookman apprentice as if he was appalled by the fact that he had to row the boat. "Who the hell do you think I am, Baka Usagi? And how dare you call me by my first name!" the swordsman retorted with his arms still crossed, and inwardly wishing that his glare would bore a hole.

"Don't be a wuss, BaKanda," Ailin airily stated as she accepted an oar from Lavi, and half-heartedly began rowing. If it was only her, she would have already used her powers, eliminate the foolish Akuma, and take some days off before she had to return to Order. However, because she is not alone for this mission, she could not do such things that would endanger her identity.

"Who are you calling a wuss, you damn Moyashi?" Kanda growled back as he snatched an oar from the boat, and began rowing.

Ailin merely smirked triumphantly at the swordsman as the boat exited the cavern and began heading to an ocean. It would take some minutes before the group arrived to mainland to take a train to China. Of course, they would have to transfer to another train because there were not any trains that directly travel from mainland England to China.

"Are you deaf, BaKanda?" she tauntingly responded with a scoff. She immediately closed her eyes when she felt a strong breeze seemingly out of nowhere that was powerful enough to push the boat out of its course. 'Is this one of my challenges?' she wondered as she leapt high in the air to dodge the 'attack', and plunged herself in the ocean.

She surfaced moments later, eyeing at the mini-tornado wearily whilst she tried to remember who had such powers to control the wind. "If I remember correctly, it should be a Level C Fallen," Ailin murmured softly as she pushed her hair out of her view.

"Allen! Are you alright?" Lenalee inquired as she stood up and prepared to activate her Dark Boots. She then shifted her view from the Exorcist in the water to the tornado that appeared out of nowhere. It was strange to say the least, because it was sunny and clear.

"You are so going to pay," Ailin growled angrily as she gracefully made a wide sweep of her hand before her face. The ocean around spiraled upward and lung towards the tornado by an invisible command. She then snapped her fingers and the water below her spiraled upward until Ailin was standing a couple of feet above the actual water level.

She looked at the scene with a bored and displeased expression, and said in an authoritative tone that startled the Exorcists, "You who dared to attack me shall pay." That was all the warning the wayward tornado got before the water tangoing with the wind began freezing until the tornado became a tall icicle tower.

Ailin glanced at the tower with a thoughtful expression while she stroke her chin, and murmured under her breath, "Hmm… that is indeed an eyesore. Maybe grandfather will know what to do with it, and deal with the imbecile who dared to attack me." With a snap of her fingers, the icicle tower disappeared from sight, leaving the Exorcists baffled as Lavi, Lenalee, and the Finder glanced around to see the traces of it.

"How in the world…" Lavi said with his jaws promptly resting on the floor of the boat, and his eyes widen. "Allen, you have some sort of super powers that we didn't know about?" he continued with owlish eyes.

Ailin made her way back to the boat, and gave a wave to the mini-water spiral as it lost her control and fell back into the ocean. She merely smirked in response and grabbed a towel from her suitcase to dry her hair before she gave a verbal answer, "Of course, don't you? It's not so strange since you have the Innocence that control nature. Mine is… well, it's hard to describe mine since it's all over the place. But water isn't the only thing I can control."

"What else can you control, Allen?" Lenalee could not help but ask as she sat back down across from Ailin.

Kanda let out a scoff before Ailin could respond, and uttered with a scowl, "Trust Moyashi to hide his abilities that could help us with this stupid war."

"Trust BaKanda to say something like that," Ailin dramatically rolled her eyes as she placed her towel around her neck, and shifted her attention back to Lenalee to say with a slight mysterious smile, "That I cannot say. Not until my 16th birthday."

"Why is that, Moyashi-chan?" Lavi interjected with an eyebrow raised, and added, "Why until your 16th birthday?" His mind was already overworking to process and record everything that had transpired.

The mentioned 'beansprout' continuously gave that mysterious smile, and said, "If you are allowed to know then, you will. If not, this shall forever remain a secret. Do not try to divulge this yourself either; you must remember that 'curiosity can kill a cat'. Death is something you mustn't trifle with."

"Allen…" Lavi trailed off with a twitch, and continued when he received the mentioned person's attention, "Stop speaking all weird."

Ailin merely chuckled in response as she eyed at the three comrades for a couple of seconds before her attention shifted to a land a few meters away. 'Amazingly they took the news rather well; in any case… considering the weirdness that came with this job, it's not that much of a surprise,' her short inner monologue ended.

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**Random Unrelated Note:**

I don't know about you, but I think that 'fighting' scene was kinda... for the lack of a better word, lame... (XoX)


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Standard disclaimer applies.

**Warning:** Slight Canon-AU, Major Spin in Some Characters' History, Moody!Ailin/Allen

* * *

_**Chapter 3  
**_

It was not long before the group had boarded a train heading east, and the four Exorcists, the Finder, and Link, whom they had met at the train station, were situated in a cabin. She knew that he was displeased by the fact that she did not wait for him; but she did highly suggested to him that he stayed behind because he would only be in the way. It was not her fault if he was left behind or not. And thus, Ailin ignored the lecture from Link with a slight annoyance displaying on her expression. It nearly took all her willpower not to attack the CROW member right then and there.

'Humans… they nag too much, just because things doesn't go as they planned,' Ailin thought with a scowl as she stared out the window, and resisted the urge to silence Link.

"…And Walker, I'm going to have to report to Leverier-san about this incident. Apparently, you have a little too much freedom to do as you're pleased," Link remarked as he scribbled something on his clipboard with a frown.

Ailin shifted her attention from the scenery to the CROW member, and narrowed her eyes as if silently condemning him for even suggesting it. Her lips then curled into a cold maniacal smirk as she nonchalantly said, "Oh really? And what will he do? Kill me? I'm not afraid of him or death." With that said, she stood up from her spot, walked out of the room as she snarled out, "Don't follow me. I don't need a second shadow. It's not like I have anywhere to go in this blasted train anyway."

Stunned silence filled the room as the Exorcists and Link stared at Ailin's retreating figure until the cabin door slammed snapped them out of the stupor. Lavi scratched the side of his face, unsure of what to say whilst Kanda merely clicked his tongue and crossed his arm, and Lenalee glanced down and let out a worry frown on her expression. Link, on the other hand, simply wrote a note regarding the matter in his clipboard.

"Allen has been kind of moody these days, eh?" Lavi finally spoke with a nervous smile, and continued with worry lacing his tone, "I wonder what's eating him. Maybe puberty finally struck for him, and he's entering rebellion stage."

Lenalee nodded in agreement and added, "I'm surprised because he even told off Leverier-san."

No one spoke for the remainder of the ride, except for Link occasionally glancing at the door, waiting to see when Ailin would return. However, she did not return to their cabin until the train finally reached China, which was approximately three days later. She did not say anything as she grabbed her suitcase, and walked out of the train, not even waiting to see if her comrades had followed her. Lavi and Lenalee gave puzzled glances at one another before they followed Ailin with their belongings, while Kanda muttered, "Ch', how childish of Moyashi" under his breath before he followed his comrades, not sparing a glance towards the inspector.

Surprisingly, the Finder had quickly found a boat to take them to their destination. Ailin watched as her comrades boarded the boat with a small frown gracing her features. She at last let out a deep sigh as she watched the ocean, shaking her head slightly before she followed into the boat.

"I wonder where Nii-sama is… I haven't seen or heard from him in weeks…" she muttered under her breath, and inwardly began planning ways to make Tyki pay for making her worry. She did not notice Lavi and Lenalee exchanging wary glances with one another as they nervously stepped away from Ailin's aura of doom.

"I think it's best to leave Allen alone for now," Lavi nervously murmured as he hightailed away from the deck, and secured himself in one of the cabins.

Lenalee gave a worried glance towards Ailin, who leaned against the mast and stared at the clouds slowly passing by. Link, as usual, was situated nearby, looking poised to write down any and all unusual happenings occurring with and around Ailin. She gave one last gaze towards Ailin before she headed inside whilst silently wondering what had caused these changes within the silvery white haired exorcist.

"Allen… you changed so much in such short period of time," Lenalee whispered with a downcast gaze.

Ailin, on the other hand, leaned her back against the railing as she continued to glance at the clouds slowly passing by. She heard what Lenalee had murmured, but pretended that she did not; after all, she, who was not supposed to reveal her powers before the mortals, had already broken that rule.

'Is the reason why Nii-sama is ignoring me? I do hope grandfathers forgive me…' Ailin could not help but thought with a dejected sigh. Then out of nowhere, an arrow pierced through the air and landed on the railing next to her hand. Attached to the arrow was a neatly tied note that practically seemed to be begging her to read it.

Before Link had a chance to take a step forward to react to the situation, Ailin had already untied the note and flipped the paper opened. Her eyes roamed on the content of the note, and then she let out a smirk in retaliation as she tore the note into tiny pieces before she discarded it overboard.

"Interesting…" she muttered with a hint of satisfaction in her tone, and added, "I accept your challenge."

"Walker, what was that?" Link could not help but ask as he looked at the silvery white haired exorcist, who, by this time, was already opened the door to a bedroom cabin. His inquiry was unanswered.

In due time, the party of six arrived to a southern island of Japan that seemed as if there was no Akuma at all. It was certainly strange considering there had been reports of a Level 5 Akuma that roamed around the island. However, Lavi had reassured them that the Akuma could be hidden somewhere, but Ailin knew that was not the case.

'The sooner I finish the ordeal, the sooner I can go home and not deal with these mortals,' she told herself, remembering what the letter had said. 'This is the final test for my Rite of Passage and it will decide which world I belong in; I'm surprised that I will finish sooner than I anticipated. Either way, this is good news for me,' Ailin inwardly stated with a small smirk forming at the edge of her expression.

"Why don't we find an inn first?" Lenalee suggested as they walked down a beaten path, inching herself closer to her male companions and warily eyeing at the forest as if she was half-expecting to see an Akuma jump out to attack. "That way we don't have to worry about finding a room later," she added with a nervous gulp. She was not scared.

"There's nothing in the forest, Lenalee," Lavi reassuringly stated with his hands behind his head as he walked alongside her, and let out a teasing grin to say, "Don't tell me you're scared of a big bad wolf jumping out of nowhere."

"I'm not scared," the mentioned exorcist retorted immediately, and willed herself not to flinch at a rustling sound. The Bookman apprentice merely raised an eyebrow in an unconvinced manner, but did not say anything as his hand hovered above his Innocence.

An anxious silence passed over the group as they waited for something to either come out or jump out at them; however, nothing happened with the exception of a cricket tauntingly chirping at them. Kanda muttered a few choices of word as he sheathed his sword and stalked towards a town nearby. Lenalee let out a sigh of relief as she followed the swordsman with Lavi in tow while Ailin's gaze lingered a couple of seconds longer at a rustling spot before she followed her comrades, uncaring if Link followed or not.

"Hey Allen," Lavi started casually as he glanced at the younger exorcist, who did not say much throughout the trip. He was worried to say the least since it was somewhat unnerving, and as far as he remembered, the silvery white haired exorcist usually complained about food or lack thereof. "Are you hungry?" the redheaded exorcist inquired.

"Not really," was Ailin's response in a somewhat distracted tone.

Link narrowed his eyes as he calculating glanced at his charge, inwardly trying to figure out the secret behind the letter that the silvery white haired exorcist had discarded earlier. "You're hiding something, Walker," that was all he could come up with.

Ailin's somewhat bored expression transformed into an amused smirk and answered, "Of course; aren't we all carrying some sort of secrets that we do not wish to share?"

Link shifted his footing as he made a move to utter his discontentment regarding her response, but it was Ailin who interrupted with a, "It's here. I hope you are ready, everyone."

"Moyashi, what are you –" Kanda started with an annoyed twitch, but his query was cut off when several armies of Akuma appearing out of nowhere. "Moyashi, how come you didn't say anything that everyone in this town was an Akuma?" the swordsman spat out as he withdrew his Mugen, and glowered at his comrade.

"BaKanda, I am surprised that you rely on me that much," Ailin smoothly responded with a smirk as she tossed her suitcase towards Link, who unceremoniously caught it in utter surprised. "And you, if you don't want to die, go hide somewhere. You too," she added to Link and the Finder.

"I wonder how many there are…" Lenalee questioned as she eyed at the swarms of Akuma, mostly Level 1 and 2s, and then activated her Dark Boots.

Lavi twirled his Innocence as soon as he activated it, and eyed at his opponents with a serious glint in his eyes before he answered, "Probably around 100… give or take a few. It doesn't include a Level 5 that we're supposed to defeat. Ahh… this is going to take a while to clean up."

"Ch', how troublesome," Kanda grumbled as he ran his fingers on Mugen's blade, and readied himself for an onslaught of Akuma. He glanced onto his right, noting that Ailin was giving a bored yawn with her hand covering her mouth. "Moyashi, what the hell are you doing?" his question captured Lavi's and Lenalee's attention as they immediately looked at Ailin.

"Uh… Allen, you might want to activate your Innocence. You know, Akuma attack and all," Lavi added as half of his attention was focused on the Akuma.

Ailin let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, and extended her left hand as she stated, "Let's begin," just as Crown Clown was activated. She had contemplated if she should use her powers right then and there to finish the fight quickly, but discarded the thought since her opponents were mere Level 1s and 2s.

"Why don't we have a manual about how to defeat this many Akuma?" Lavi grumbled as he summoned a fire seal, and watched as a fire snake devoured some Level 1 Akuma, approximately around nine in one gulp. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Kanda unleashing Hell's Insects to devour the Level 1s, and Lenalee using Misty-Wind to destroy the remaining Akuma. "This is endless," the Bookman apprentice noted as more Akuma replaced the fallen ones' place.

Ailin narrowed her eyes as she stood on top of a rooftop of a random establishment, hidden from the Exorcists' view, as she dismissed Crown Clown. It was not that she disliked the weapon, but solely for the reason that her own sorcery was more effective against massive armies. She closed her eyes as she extended her left hand out, and felt a familiar energy coursing through her body.

"Ah, this is so much better," Ailin murmured as she glanced down to see her Exorcist attire was transformed into a short-sleeved ivory and black colored mini-dress with shoulders and wrists guards. She then tied her long dark chestnut colored hair into a high ponytail as she voiced out, "Although I question why I need to dress like a Valkyrie…" With a dismissive shrug, she peered behind a chimney and summoned her bow and arrow, purely made out of her energy.

She carefully aimed at the closest Akuma as she pulled the string, and released the arrow as soon as she got a clear mark of her target. An icy blue colored arrow travelled in the air, heading towards the targeted Akuma before it began multiplying in the midair and rerouted itself towards the other Akuma. Myriads of explosions and smog colored the evening sky as Ailin summoned another arrow to aim at an Akuma a bit further away from her.

"Where did that came from? And where did Allen go?" she heard Lavi's questioning voice.

Ailin tried to steady her shaky hands as she aimed at the Akuma, grumbled in a low tone about why the Akuma would not be still and let itself be punctured by her arrow. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and released her arrow, which multiplied and headed towards the remaining Akuma to destroy it within seconds.

"Oh yeah, be awed by grandfather's weapon and my aim," Ailin smirked triumphantly, pleased by her work. She then peered back to her comrades, who were still fighting a Level 3 Akuma, as she closed her eyes for a brief second to transform back to her disguise. "I wonder where that Level 5 is…" she said to herself while she jumped down from the roof, landing a few feet away from the group.

"Ah, the main cast finally arrives," the Level 3 spoke as it licked its mouth and let out a menacing grin. "I was wondering you will come… I was getting bored with the small fries here," it continued with a laugh, ignoring Kanda's angry expression.

"Who sent you?" Ailin inquired as she approached to her comrades. Her eyes widen in startled when the swordsman suddenly lung towards the Level 3, who began shedding its skin and transformed into a hideous-looking Level 5 that they were all looking for.

"Fifth Illusion: Ripping Flash Claw!" Kanda shouted as held his sword above his head whilst his hair changed into a lighter shade, and his body surrounded by electric charges.

The Level 5 merely laughed, and flung its hand flippantly at the charging swordsman as if he was of no threat. "Kanda!" Lenalee cried out and cringed when the said exorcist hit his back against a tree nearby. She was unsure if she imagined a cracking noise, or if that was real. Nonetheless, she let out a startled gasp when Mugen crumbled into tiny pieces.

"BaKanda, that's why you don't rush head first into a battle against an opponent; especially when you're not sure what they can do," Ailin massaged her temple as she extended her right hand to stop Lenalee from rushing towards Kanda. "You two should get out of here. This is an opponent that we should not trifle with without a plan," she stated before her gaze transfixed onto the Akuma.

"But…" Lenalee protested.

Ailin clicked her tongue in irritation and grounded out, "This is _not_ the time to object." With an exasperated sigh, she ran towards her fallen comrade, who let out a groan when he came to consciousness, and noted that his eyes widened by a fraction when he saw the Level 5 approaching to him.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Ailin began as she situated herself between the swordsman exorcist and the Akuma, and annoyingly said, "Who sent you?"

"It shouldn't matter to you who sent me," the Akuma responded as it raised its hand to crush the exorcists, and added with a crackle, "After all, I am going to destroy you," just as it brought down its hand towards the two exorcists.

"BaKanda, hold on tight," that was all the warning Ailin gave to her comrade as she wrapped her hands around his, and darted away from the attack.

Kanda snapped out of his stunned surprise when a gust of wind blew into his face. He was standing a few feet away from the Akuma, inwardly wondering how in the world they had managed to move that fast. His gaze then shifted onto his rescuer – not that he would admit that he needed rescuing – and his eyes widened in surprised when he noted the changes.

"…Moyashi, you're a girl?" that was all the swordsman could utter.

Ailin, who had transformed out of her disguise in the midst of dodging the attack, merely glanced back at Kanda with a small smirk on her expression. She did not answer her comrade, and instead focused her attention on the Akuma to say, "Die, you bastard."

* * *

**Note: **

The fighting scene was somewhat hard to write X.X

I hope it was decent and not epic!fail…

And… yeah… the pairing is pretty much decided at this point. I'm sure some of you can guess which pairing it'll be (if not, that's okay); please look forward to it in upcoming chapters.

Many thanks to those who wrote me reviews, put this fic on favorite and/or alert.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Standard disclaimer applies.

**Warning:** Slight Canon-AU, Major Spin in Some Characters' History

* * *

_**Chapter 4  
**_

The Akuma simply laughed in response, treating her threat as a joke, which only further angered Ailin. She clenched her hands in a fist, and gritted her teeth, silently questioning if she could simply blow up the premise and not be punished for it. Last time she blew up a town in Underworld in the midst of her anger, her grandfather made her wipe every inch of their palace floor as punishment and that task alone took her four days. She does not want to do it again…

"Don't underestimate me!" Ailin retorted heatedly as she placed her hands on her hip. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Kanda flexing his left hand – the hand she was holding seconds prior – with a scowl; she sent an apologetic look towards him for nearly crushing his hand before she refocused her attention onto the Akuma.

"Hah, what can you do, little girl?" the Level 5 Akuma taunting replied before it sent a large energy ball towards the two Exorcists who were fighting against the remnants of Level 1s and 2s.

Ailin's eyes widen in surprised for a couple of seconds. Her brain registered the seriousness of the situation when the Level 1s and Level 2s Akuma were torn into pieces as soon as it came into contact with the energy ball. "No! Lavi! Lenalee!" she cried out in startled as she rushed towards the two.

The Bookman apprentice readied his Innocence, preparing to hit the energy ball as if it was a baseball. Lavi nearly dropped his hammer when he realized the energy ball grew larger and larger by the second; he quickly calculated the size, and almost fainted on the spot when he noted it was approximately 38 feet in circumference. He unconsciously took a step back just as he felt a tug on his jacket, realizing that it was Lenalee, and let out a loud gulp, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of pain.

"Uh… Lenalee, it would a great time for you to fly us out of here," Lavi murmured with sweats beating down the side of his face.

Lenalee tightened her hold, and buried her face in his jacket as she responded, "We won't be fast enough to escape. That thing's huge."

Somehow, through the midst of running towards her comrades, Ailin realized she had dragged Kanda behind her when she heard him shouting, "Damn it, Moyashi! I'm not a thing to be dragged around!" She stopped a couple of feet away from Lavi and Lenalee, pulled her hand away from Kanda, and extended both hands before her. "Come on… don't fail on me…" Ailin murmured almost pleadingly as she summoned a barrier to protect her, and her comrades from the attack.

"Moyashi, what the hell are you doing?" Kanda inquired with an eyebrow raised.

Ailin let out an annoyed twitch when she heard Kanda's question, and responded in annoyed, "Be quiet, BaKanda. I'm trying to concentrate, and if I fail, you are all dead. If I let you die, grandfathers will be extremely displeased and I will be punished. I don't want to be punished; grandfathers are scary when they're angry. If you have questions, save it for later!"

In an instant, an icy blue colored wall materialized before Ailin's palms, just a couple of seconds before the Akuma's energy ball slammed against the barrier. Ailin gritted her teeth as she tried to push back the attack back to its sender, silently cursing in her mind for not practicing her defense spells. Destroying things were much simpler than trying to save things, if one asked her.

Sweat beads rolled down the side of her face as she gritted her teeth in concentration, trying to push back the attack despite the fact that she was slowly being pushed back. A resounding shatter echoed the premise to indicate that the first layer of the defensive wall was destroyed.

"There is no way I'm going to wipe the floors again!" Ailin shouted as she pushed against the attack with a burst of energy, instantly sending it back to the Akuma. Much to her dismay, the grotesque-looking foe dodged its own attack whilst Ailin was left gasping for breath. "Damn it, why can't you stay still so I can defeat you easily?" she grumbled as she tried to catch her breath.

"STRIKE! ...Wait," Lavi interjected as he glanced at the girl in Valkyrie attire before him, remembering what Kanda had called her, and inquisitively uttered, "Allen?"

"The real name is Ailin; it sounds close to Allen," she responded with a shrug as she exhaled deeply and gulped down her nervousness. "Um… right, so far it has super strength and can shoot energy balls. Kanda's sword is broken – nice going, BaKanda – and I don't know if Tessei and Dark Boots will have enough impact on it," Ailin began with her monologue as she assessed the situation as quickly as possible whilst she kept an eye on the Level 5, in case it decided to attack again. "The quickest way to defeat it would be to blow it up to pieces. Oh, I do hope grandfather will not be too mad if I end up destroying this island," she muttered the last sentence quietly.

Before her comrades had a chance to interject a comment, specifically regarding the last statement, Ailin extended her hands to summon her bow and arrow. "I suppose it's best to go with my specialty and survive… hopefully in one piece," she spoke in a low tone as she aimed her weapon towards her moving target.

Ailin then closed her eyes and reopened them a couple of seconds later, displaying a pair of cold yet calculating azure eyes. Her lips curled into a sneer as she released her arrow, watching it rained down on the Akuma before she released another arrow, which multiplied and burst into flames.

"If that doesn't work, I still have a cannon at my disposal," Ailin stated with a maniacal grin, and added as an afterthought, "_Something_ has to work, you know."

Lavi echoed, "A cannon?" with his eye widened in surprise and looked at her warily.

Ailin merely shrugged as she patted her shoulder with her bow, as if massage her shoulders, and finally responded with a nonchalant, "Well, would you rather I use machine guns? Either way, one of them _has_ to kill it because grandfather's weapons are… well, to put it simply, just that awesome."

A shadow struggled to stand up when the myriads of raining arrows stopped and the smog finally cleared the scene. Ailin clicked her tongue in annoyance as she snapped her fingers, instantly transforming her bow into a cannon. "If this doesn't work, then…" she trailed off with a dark grin that sent shivers down Lavi's spines since he was the only one close to see the expression.

Wordlessly, she aimed the barrel and placed her hands on the base of the machinery, which glowed for a few seconds before it spat out a handful of icy blue bombs. The Akuma, who was still trying to recover the shock from icy and fiery arrows, did not have the chance to dodge the raining bombs, and was instantly encompassed in ice.

Ailin snapped her fingers yet again; this time, transforming her cannon back into her bow while she held out her right hand as an arrow appeared out of thin air. She wordlessly aimed her arrow, closing one eye in the process, and fired a couple of seconds later. A single arrow flied through the air before its tip struck on the frozen Akuma, and shattered the ice 'sculpture' into many undistinguishable pieces with resounding sounds.

Ailin then let out a relieved sigh as she lowered her bow, and closed her eyes for a brief second; in an instant, her battle armor transformed into a white blouse with black jacket over it, and a black mini-skirt. Her calf-length black high heeled combat boots, however, remained the same.

"Well, the damages aren't too bad," Ailin nodded in approval with her hands on her hips, and scanned around the premise with further nods of agreement.

Lavi cringed at the damage from the fight, inwardly wondering what she was talking about when there were a few craters in the ground (some larger than others), and half of the town was either encased in ice or burnt to a crisp. Not to mention, the other half of the town was showered by arrows, and was left to burn. All in all, it would cost Order a lot of money to repair this town.

"Ailin dear," a familiar voice spoke before its owner revealed before the mentioned person.

"Nii-sama!" the young girl gasped in surprised before she tackled her older brother into a hug. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in ages, and how is Uncle Neah? I haven't seen him for nearly sixteen years…" she trailed off as she let go off him.

The Exorcists, on the other hand, had a different reaction. Lavi and Lenalee readied their Innocence, poised to attack, whilst Kanda resorted to glare at the Noah since his weapon was broken. "Tyki Mikk," Lavi acknowledged with a frown as he twirled his Tessei.

"I'm not here to attack you," Tyki stated in a calm tone before his attention shifted to Ailin, and continued with his speech in a soft reprimanding tone, "You do realize that grandfathers are going to displeased that you not only wreak havoc this town, but that you revealed your powers before these people."

Ailin let out a small scowl as she listened, and grumbled out, "I know, I know… b-but, I did destroy that Akuma all by myself. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Yes, and I'm proud of you for that," Tyki let out a smile when he saw her pouting expression, and said in a low tone, "But that's beside the point. You do realize that you take after your mother more…What if we're separated? I won't be able to look after you, and what if you get into trouble then, Ailin?"

"Nii-sama… you worry too much," the mentioned girl responded as she held his hand with both of her hands, and said confidently, "Besides, if anyone tries to do anything, I have my cannons ready."

Lavi and Lenalee sweat dropped at her response, unsure what to say to that comment; whilst Tyki massaged his temple, silently inquiring if his innocent sister had been possessed by an alien. Perhaps it was due to her spending so much time with the _mortals_ that she changed; yes, that has to be it.

"Wait a minute," Lavi interjected as he glanced at the Noah of Pleasure, and then shifted his attention onto his former silvery white haired friend, who somehow is now a girl. "How are you two related? And why is Allen a girl?" those were his questions.

Tyki displayed an entertained smirk on his expression as he ran his hand through his dark hair, tying it in a half ponytail in the process. "Bookman Junior," he started in an amused tone, and let out a cough to hide his laughter before he continued, "Don't tell me you want me to give you an explanation about biology, and how babies were made."

An awkward silence blanketed the group, and no one said anything for a while. Lavi let out a series of incoherent stammers, trying to explain himself that that was not what he wanted to know. Lenalee looked embarrassed by the situation she caught herself in whilst Kanda merely clicked his tongue and looked away, as if to indicate that he did not belong in the group.

"Um… is there a reason why you are here now, Nii-sama?" Ailin broke the awkward atmosphere with a cough, and sent a inquisitive glance towards her older brother.

Tyki shifted his glance back to his sister, and let out a soft sigh before he answered, "The Judgment is supposed to occur right now; but seeing that it has not, grandfathers suggested that you remain here until your powers decide which will be the dominant one. It might be the long way to decide, but…"

"What are you talking about?" Lenalee spoke up in a puzzled tone, interrupting his conversation in the process.

"This is none of your business, young lady," Tyki responded with a slight glare, silently daring her to interrupt him again, and continued in a softer tone to his sister, "Don't worry, Uncle Neah and I will be close by to watch over you. Also… be careful. Some of the Fallens have decided to rebel since we're not there to keep them in check." He then patted her head a couple of times before he murmured, "Stay strong," in her left ear, and disappeared in a flurry of black feathers.

"Wait, Nii-sama! Don't leave-" Ailin started in near pleading tone, and added, "– me alone by myself," almost despairingly.

Lenalee placed one hand over her heart, and approached to the younger girl as she whispered, "Allen…" Her right hand hovered above Ailin's left shoulder, almost afraid to touch.

"It's Ailin. A-I-L-I-N," she responded almost immediately, and turned around to face the group, inwardly debating if she should explain the whole situation to them. "I suppose I should enlighten you on some things…" she murmured as she kicked some dirt around.

"For one thing, you should explain why you're cross dressing, Moyashi," Kanda retorted with his arms crossed, and a look of displeasure mixed with anger flashed on his expression.

Ailin bit the bottom of her lips before she snapped her fingers. The instant the three Exorcists realized their bearings, they were in a white room with a piano, which Lavi remembered as the 14th's piano room. She then let out a dejected sigh and made a wave with her hand, summoning four chairs before she sat down on one.

"I'm not cross dressing. But I suppose I should start from the beginning," Ailin began in the same dejected tone, and added in a low tone, "I hope grandfathers will forgive me for telling you guys, seeing as I'm not supposed to tell you this."

Lenalee furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and voiced out, "Tell us what, Allen… err, I mean Ailin."

Silence reigned over the room for a few seconds as Ailin leaned against her chair and stared at the ceiling with a contemplative look passed over her visage. "For starters, I'm not human," she blurted out whilst noting her comrades' eyes widen expressions, and added in a lower tone, "My father is a high-ranked Fallen Angel, and my mother is an Archangel. So you can… um…guess that I'm a mix of the two."

Lavi let out a boisterous laughter, and stated with tears appearing from the corner of his eye, "That's a great joke, Ailin-chan." When his laughter died down, he saw a serious expression on her face, and owlish blinked as words died in his throat. He then stuttered out, "Oh my god, seriously..? …Wow…"

Ailin let out a sigh when she saw that her comrades did not believe her, and scratched the back of her head. The sound of wings unfurling echoed in the enclosed room, which was then followed by the sound of a pair of wings flapping. "Would these make you believe me?" she muttered as white, and black feathers danced in the air.

"…You weren't joking," that was all Lavi could say as his eye widened some more. Lenalee let out a startled gasp as she covered her mouth with her hands, and looked as if she was in awe.

"A black wing on the left and a white wing on the right…" Kanda murmured as his eyes transfixed at the two wings in awestruck. There was a small smile on his expression, but when Ailin glanced at him again, it disappeared.

'I must've imagined it,' she concluded with a slight ping her chest, making her wonder what that feeling was. With a slight shrug, she willed her wings to disappear and watched the feathers dancing in the air, just as she heard a door being opened.

"Darling niece, you are in a big trouble, young lady," a voice started in a displeased tone, and continued as clicking noises of footsteps echoed louder, "I take my eyes off you for a second, and you went ahead and broke the rules I set out."

Ailin's eyes widen in surprised when she saw a familiar person adorning a black attire, robe and all, walked into the room. His black shoes clicked against the floor of the piano room as he slowly approached to Ailin, who nervously gulped when her eyes noted that he was holding a sword. 'Oh boy…' that was the only thing she could think of at that moment.

* * *

**Note:** Many thanks to those who wrote me reviews, put this fic on favorite and/or alert.

...I just realized that I've been updating everyday since I started on this fic... [sweat drops]


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Standard disclaimer applies.

**Warning:** Slight Canon-AU, Major Spin in Some Characters' History

* * *

_**Chapter 5  
**_

"Uncle Neah, where did you disappear for sixteen years?" Ailin immediately inquired when the mentioned person walked into the room. She resisted the urge to take a step back when the older male approached towards her with a smile on his visage. Ailin could feel cold sweat and shiver running down her person when Neah's gaze swept across the room, meeting her gaze, and then shifted to her comrades.

Neah continuously smiled as he approached to his darling niece, and tilted her chin with his fingers so that she could not escape from his grasp. "Darling niece, what have I told you not to do?" he inquired as he peered down at the younger girl.

His cold tone sent a shiver down her spine as she resisted the urge to look away from her uncle's piercing gaze, knowing that it would only further enraged him. Ailin wetted her lips, and let out a whisper of, "Not to reveal who I am or what my powers are to the mortals."

"Very good," Neah responded in a calm tone that sent warning alarms in Ailin's mind. His eyes shifted towards the three Exorcists in the room before his attention returned to his niece, whose frightened eyes looked back at him. "And what did you do?" he questioned, despite knowing the answer to the query.

"I broke the rules," she responded in a low tone with her eyes casted downward, and instantly added, "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" with her eyes closed.

"It's not her fault!" Lavi interjected from the sideline, nearly shrinking back when his eyes met Neah's cold amber ones.

The older male's lips curled into a sneer before he stated, "Shut up, boy. This is none of your business." Neah then looked back at his niece and let out a sigh as he released her from his captive, and then ran his hand through his slightly wavy hair. _"Ailin, I thought you disliked mortals?"_ he questioned in an ancient tongue used in Underworld.

The mentioned girl nodded in response with her hands clasped behind her, _"I still do; but these people… and some at Black Order… I can tolerate them. Please don't punish them, Uncle Neah."_

_"Darling niece, you do realize that humans are not supposed to know about us,"_ Neah whispered as he patted her head. His eyes looked warmer than before whilst he looked at her with a soft expression, and finally let out a chuckle at her slightly trembling person. _"There is no rule that says you cannot tell them; but for our safety that mortals are not supposed to know our existence,"_ he continued solemnly.

"I'm sorry…" Ailin whispered melancholically.

Neah simply let out a sigh and ruffled his hair as if he was contemplating how to deal with the situation. In the end, he spoke, "What's done is done. I'm sure your brother told you that some of the Fallen Angels are rebelling?"

The young girl nodded in answer as she inwardly wondered what her uncle was getting at, but did not voice it out loud. Her eyes then landed on the sword he was carrying, silently questioning why he had it. As far as Ailin knew, Neah did not carry weaponry because his powers are far stronger than everyone in Underworld; that is, everyone except her grandfather.

"I've also heard that some of the low-class angels are rebelling as well," Neah continued in a soft tone as he flicked his wrist. He took a seat on a recliner that appeared out of the blue, and gave a glance towards the Exorcists, fully aware that they were listening in his conversation with Ailin. "We're unsure of the cause, but don't worry about it. We'll deal with them as they come. In the meantime, you should prepare yourself for the Judgment; when it'll be held will be a surprise," he stated with a smirk at the end.

Lavi glanced at the two entities, unsure if he should inquire the lingering question in his mind. In the end, he asked, "What is this Judgment?"

"You've seen Ailin's wings, correct?" Neah began as he plopped his sword against his chair, and leaned back whilst he eyed at the group. When they gave a collective nod in response, he continued, "If your parents are Fallen Angels, you'll get black wings; if your parents are Archangels or Angels in general, you'll get white wings. Of course, there are selected few with gray wings, but they are low-leveled angels and they do not have a realm to belong to. It'll only be a matter of time before they are stripped of their powers. The Judgment is to decide if her black wing will turn white, or if her white wing will turn black. It will decide which realm she belongs in… or if she will be stripped of her powers and become a mortal."

Ailin let out a soft sigh as she leaned against a wall with her arms crossed, and softly said, "Uncle Neah."

The mentioned Fallen Angel turned to look at his niece, exchanging silent conversation, before he let out a small smirk and nodded. His expression had once again converted into a serious one as he remarked, "Well then, I ask that you three keep my darling niece's identity a secret. If not…" He left his statement incomplete as he stood up from his spot, and gathered his sword.

"In any case, Ailin," Neah continued with his conversation, this time on a different topic. "Your brother and I will be busy handling the revolts. I want you to keep an eye out, and stop them if necessary. _You and I both know that your power of Creation is far stronger than you show,_" he commented.

"I understand," Ailin nodded solemnly in response, and added, "Be careful."

Neah let out a smirk at her remark, and gave her a slight wave as he stated, "You too, darling niece. As much as it pains me to do this, I'll have to revoke some of your powers as punishment, as per my order. Oh, and grandfathers want the Palaces spotless once you get back. So good luck with that, young lady." He extended his hand towards Ailin, making two balls of light – one black and one white – extracted from her body. With a smirk on his expression, Neah disappeared from his spot in a whirlwind of black feathers before she could say anything.

Ailin let out a deep defeated sigh, as if she was accepting her fate without much of a protest, and shifted her attention back to the Exorcists. "Well, let's get back," that was all the warning the three mortals received before Ailin snapped her fingers, and they were transported back to the wrecked battlefield. "If we're lucky, we might be able to leave this island without my second shadow," she muttered darkly under her breath.

"Allen… do you have something against…" Lavi trailed off uncomfortably, unsure how to properly phrase his question.

The immortal girl shifted her attention to him with a small smile gracing on her expression as she tugged her hair behind her ear. She then changed her gaze onto the wreck 'battlefield', and responded, "I dislike humans to the point that some shouldn't even be born. My experiences of when I first came to Earth only further fueled my dislike; but… there are a handful of people that I can tolerate."

"Why do you dislike humans, Ailin?" Lenalee questioned with a small frown as the group began walking towards the dock. The female exorcist could not help but be surprised by the fact that they had managed to defeat the Level 5 Akuma that quickly. Well, Ailin was the one who did most, if not all, of the work; nonetheless, she was certainly astonished to know that Allen was actually a girl.

"You've experienced first-hand what they can do, Lenalee," Ailin responded in a soft tone as she walked alongside the older girl, and placed her hands in her pocket. Her eyes scanned around the premise to anything unusual whilst soft evening breezes echoed in her ears. "It hasn't changed for many years, and I highly doubt people can change that quickly. For the most part, people only care about themselves and those within their circle; they are not afraid to kill… to hurt someone, to treat someone as an experiment, and to commit cold-blooded murders. Of course, there are some who are different… that's why, a part of me has given up on humanity, but another part of me is still hopeful that mortals can change. That's just my perspective; I'm not forcing you to accept it or anything," she continued.

Ailin did not say anything as she continued walking through the forest until the dock appeared over the horizon. Lenalee and Lavi exchanged concerned glanced among one another, unsure what to say to her earlier monologue whilst Kanda grumbled under his breath about his displeasure towards this whole ordeal. It was not long before the four arrived to the dock to see Link and the Finder waiting for them.

"Uh… Ailin, how are you going to explain to Order about you being a girl?" Lavi trailed off in a low tone with an eyebrow raised.

She could not help but let out a small smile when she heard worry laced in his tone, making her briefly wondered if he was worried about her fate. "I'm not going to," Ailin responded with a small smirk as strong gust of wind blew around the group, causing the three Exorcists to shield their eyes. "Which is why, your silence on this matter is necessary," she continued in her Allen Walker's voice.

"Whoa, I'm so not going to get used to this," Lavi remarked as he eyed at his comrade with his jaw dropped, and choked out, "How is this possible?"

It was not Ailin who answered to the query, but a certain CROW member in a displeased tone, "How is what possible, Bookman Junior? And where and who is that young lady who was with you earlier?"

"The only young lady with us happened to be Lenalee," Ailin interjected in a bored tone as she walked ahead to board the boat, and slightly turned around to say, "Are you sure you don't need a pair of glasses, Two-Spot?" in a mocking manner. With a satisfied smirk, she entered to one of cabins, locked the door behind her, and walked towards the bed.

"Damn it," she murmured as she held her head with her eyes clenched closed and her teeth gritted. Ailin tightened her right hand in a fist to the point that there were crescent marks on her palm. "N-not now…" Ailin said in a low tone as her body glowed in black aura and then in white before the two flickered back and forth, as if one power was trying to dominate over the other.

In a matter of a few seconds, Ailin collapsed on the bed with beads of sweat rolling down the side of her face. Her image then flickered for a couple of times as her body continued to glow, interchanging between black and white, until the two auras stopped as if the battle had not occurred. Ailin was left gasping for breath, trying to get as much as she could into her lungs, as if she had not breathed for a long period of time. A deafening shatter echoed in the stilled air, making the young immortal opened her eyes in shock.

Ailin slowly got up from her curled up position, massaging her temple as she tried to ease the headache, and let out a frown when her long dark chestnut hair fell over her shoulder. She then glanced down to her body, only to grimace when she noticed that her disguise had fallen apart. She took a deep breath before she closed her eyes to concentrate, willing her powers to work, and then reopened her eyes a few seconds later.

The former silvery white haired Exorcist glanced down to see if the transformation had work, and let out a deep frown when she realized that it had not. "What's going on…?" Ailin uttered in near despair tone. She drew her knees close to her chest and buried her head in her arms. "Is it because Uncle Neah took some of my powers away? But it couldn't be…" she whispered to no one in particular.

The door knocks interrupted her lone conversation, which was then followed by Lenalee's worried inquiry, "Allen? Are you okay in there? We heard something shattered in there."

"Walker, open this door instantly," Link's voice commanded rather impatiently. Ailin's eyes widen and her head shot up in surprised when she realized that her comrade was not the only one out there.

"Allen?" Lenalee's voice questioned again with a couple of knocks, and added, "Are you alright? Did something happen?"

Ailin heard quiet footsteps inching towards her cabin door, and after a few tormenting seconds later, she heard, "Lenalee? Two-Spot? What's going on?" It was Lavi.

Lenalee's worried voice once again spoke, "It's Allen. I think something happened in there,"

"Is it okay to trust them?" Ailin whispered to the air as she uncurled from her position, and slowly made her way to the door. "What should I do, grandfathers…? What happened to my powers? Did I become a mortal?" she continued in a low tone. Her hand hovered above the doorknob as if she was trying to decide whether to open it or not.

In the end, Ailin gradually opened the door, and glanced at a lone chair near the door as if it was the most interesting piece of furniture she had ever seen. "Walker? What happened to you? Why are you a girl?" Link immediately questioned with his eyes widened. "Wait, that is you, isn't it Walker?" he added as an afterthought, unsure if the female before him was the person he was supposed to keep an eye on.

"Yes," Ailin responded sullenly, depressed about her lack of powers rather than having her disguise destroyed. "I think the Level 5 had something to do with it," she lied, eyeing at her comrades as if she was silently willing them to agree with her story.

Link let out a series of incoherent mutters as he whipped out his notebook and began jotting down the information. Lavi, and Lenalee, on the other hand, gave a representative confused, and worried glances towards Ailin. The two Exorcists knew that it was not from the Level 5 Akuma; after all, Ailin had destroyed it single-handedly.

"What's really going on, Ailin-chan?" Lavi questioned quietly with a serious gaze.

Ailin massaged her temple once again, trying to ease an oncoming headache, and wearily answered, "I'm not sure. I can feel that my powers are slowly being stripped off." She tiredly leaned against the doorframe, gauging at her comrades' expression as she silently pondered why this was happening to her. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some rest," she stated, quietly hinting them to leave her alone.

"Alright, I hope you feel better soon, Ailin," Lenalee responded with the same worried gaze, and gestured Lavi to leave his questioning until later.

Wordlessly, the young immortal being nodded and gave a soft smile in reply. She then closed the door, headed towards her bed before she tiredly collapsed, missing the bed by a foot. A loud thud echoed in the small cabin, which was followed by an unquestionable shattering sound.

Ailin's fallen figure glowed in black and white aura, interchanging every couple of seconds, whilst black and white feathers pooled around her.

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**Note:** Many thanks to those who wrote me reviews, put this fic on favorite and/or alert.


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